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Unit 1
Understanding
Diversity

Learning Objectives
• Know the meaning of diversity
• Understand the existence of diversity in India
• Develop a healthy attitude towards others around you
• Understand the differences in the belief systems of people
• Know to accept and respect the unity in diversity

1. Understanding diversity From the below table, we understand

Take a look around your class. Do you that the three students are different from
see any of your classmates who looks one another. This shows that people
similar? Look at the table. speak different languages, eat different
kinds of food, celebrate their own
festivals and practice a culture different
from one another. Similarly, people who
live in different parts of our country differ
in their ways of life. These differences
make us unique as Indians. We come
from different backgrounds, belong to
different cultures, worship in different

Student 1 Student 2 Student 3

Mother tongue Tamil Malayalam Hindi
Food Rice Puttu Chappathi
Festival Pongal Onam Holi
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ways, yet we live together. This is known land forms and lifestyles diversity, social
as diversity. diversity, religious diversity, linguistic
diversity and cultural diversity.
2. Diversity in India
India is a home to a civilisation that 2.1 L
 and Forms and Lifestyle
is 5,000 years old. Different groups of Diversity
people from different parts of the world A continent is a very large area of
were attracted towards India over the land with various physical features such
years because of its wealth. Some came as mountains, plateaus, plains, rivers
for trade with the local people and others and seas and various types of weather
were keen on invading its territory. So patterns. India has all of them. India is
diverse races of people migrated into known as a sub-continent. These features
India by land and sea routes over time. have an underlying influence upon the
Thus the Dravidians, Negroids, Aryans, people who live in different landforms of
Alpines and Mongoloids became part of the country.
the modern Indian race. Then, the people
Physical and climatic features
who migrated to India also moved to
determine the economic activities of a
other parts of the country. This movement
region. People living in the plains thrive
and migration of people is the reason for
on agriculture, while people in the coastal
India’s rich diversity.
areas take to fishing for their livelihood. In
We will now study the diversity in mountainous regions, rearing of animals is
India under the following broad headings: undertaken. Hilly landscapes are supported

UNITY IN DIVERSITY

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Landforms
The surface of Earth is covered with different
types of landforms.

VALLEY MOUNTAINS PLAIN

ISLAND DESERT COASTLINE

by favourable climatic conditions for the 2.2 Social Diversity

cultivation of coffee and tea. 2.2.1 Interdependence and
Diversity in landforms also impacts the Co-existence
flora and fauna of a region. The plant and A community is a place where people
animal wealth of a place depends upon live together with a common interest or
the natural habitat and the climate that heritage. Our community is made up of
prevails in that region. Food, clothing, peasants, labourers, artisans, parents,
occupation and livelihood of the people teachers, students and many others. For
is closely connected with the region’s a comfortable livelihood, communities
natural surroundings and climate. depend on each other.

• Mawsynram located in Megalaya, is the land of highest rainfall.

• Jaisalmer located in Rajasthan, is the land of lowest rainfall.
Mawsynram Jaisalmer

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2.2.2 Family and Society and has become the home of many others.
Families constitute the fundamental Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Sikhism,
unit of a society. There are two types Buddhism, Jainism and Zoroastrianism
of families: joint families and nuclear flourish in India.
families. Families live in a harmonious India is a land of festivals, where
neighbourhood. Many of neighbourhoods people from different religions engage in
collectively form a village and many of many colourful celebrations in different
them group together in a city. The needs parts of the country and co-exist
of people and the interdependence of harmoniously. The wide variety of festivals
communities for amenities such as water, celebrated in India is a true manifestation
food, electricity, education, housing of its rich culture and traditions.
and so on bring us together to live in Festivals like Pongal, Deepavali, Holi,
harmony. Though we are diverse in our Vijayadhasami, AyudhaPuja, Navaratri,
cultural practices, we are united and Durga Puja, Dussehra, Ganesh Chaturthi,
interdependent socially. Bihu, Kumbamela, Onam, Miladi Nabi,
Ramzan, Christmas, Buddha Poornima,
2.3 Religious Diversity Mahavir Jayanthi, Guru Nanak Jayanthi
India is a secular country. It does not and Rakshabandhan are some of the
declare any religion as state religion. The festivals that denote the cultural diversity
freedom of religion is our fundamental right. of India.
India is the birth place of many religions

Toda tribal people.

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Pongal Deepavali Christmas Onam

Miladi Nabi Buddha Poornima

2.4 Linguistic Diversity three hundred years before independence

According to census of India 2001, in 1947, the English language gained
India has 122 major languages and prominence in India. In due course, English
1599 other languages. Four major has emerged as an important language
Indian language families are Indo-Aryan, and a medium of instruction in schools
Dravidian, Austroasiatic and Sino Tibetian. and colleges. It is widely used in official
Tamil is the oldest Dravidian language. communication and daily life.

Top Five languages spoken in The Constitution

India (as per 2011 Census) of India recognises
Percentage of total twenty-two languages
Language
population as official languages.
Hindi 43.63 % The Government of India has declared
Bengali 8.30 % Tamil as the first classical language in
2004. Apart from Tamil, five other Indian
Telugu 6.93 %
languages have been declared as the
Marathi 7.09 % classical languages, by the Goverment
Tamil 5.89 % of India. Sankrit, Telugu, Kannada,
Malayalam, Oriya were announced as
Historically, the Portuguese, the Dutch, classical language in 2005, 2008, 2008
the British, the Danish and the French came 2013, 2016 respectively.
to India for trade and their occupation of
2.5 Cultural Diversity
India or some parts of it has left behind
The term ‘culture’ refers to customs
a certain impact upon the culture and
and practices of people, their language,
language of the people. Because the British
their dress code, cuisine, religion, social
ruled over the entire country for over
habits, music, art and architecture.

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Brihadisvara Temple St.Thomas Tajmahal

Cathedral Basilica, Chennai

Sanchi Kandariya Mahadeo Konark Sun Temple The Dilwara

Stupa Temple JainTemple

The culture of a group of people is community. Each of the 28 states and 9

reflected in their social behaviour and Union territories of India has rich traditions
interactions. The group identity fostered and unique ways of artistic expression.
by social patterns is unique to a group.
2.5.1 P
 opular Dances and
Art and architecture are an integral
part of every community. It develops Music of India
as a part of culture and tradition of a In ancient times, dance was considered
as a way to celebrate, worship and also as
a gesture of thanks giving and joy. Dances
of India reflect its cultural richness.
About 60 percent of
Music and dance go hand in hand.
the total epigraphical
There are several styles of music practiced
inscriptions found by
in India. The Hindustani music, Karnatic
the Archaeological
music, Classical Tamil Music, Folk Music,
Survey of India (ASI) are from Tamil
Lavani, Ghazl are some of them. There are
Nadu, and most of these are in the
songs from various languages composed
Tamil script.
by blending these different forms of music.
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Sattriya
Kathak

North India
Assam
Manipur

Odisha Manipuri

Yakshagana Andhra pradesh

Karnataka Odissi

Tamil Nadu
Kerala

Kathakali Bharatanatyam Kuchipudi

Not to Scale

Folk dances of India

State Popular dance

Tamil Nadu Karagattam, Oyillattam, Kummi, Therukoothu,

Bommalattam, Puliattam, Kolattam, Thappattam
Kerala Theyyam and Mohiniattam
Punjab Bhangra
Gujarat Garba and Dandia
Rajasthan Kalbelia and Ghoomer
Uttar Pradesh Ras Lila
Uttarakhand Chholiya
Assam Bihu

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Activity:
You have read about the diversity that exists in our country. Compare and contrast
two states.
Tamil Nadu Uttar Pradesh
Dance
Crops
Food
Language
Architecture

3. Unity in Diversity
V.A. Smith called India
Though diversity is visible in every
as an ‘Ethnological
aspect of life in India, we are united by the
museum’, as a great
spirit of patriotism. Symbols such as the
variety of racial
National Flag and National Anthem remind
types exist.
us of our great nation and the need to stay
united. Celebration of landmark events
such as Independence Day, Republic Day
Summary
and Gandhi Jayanthi every year bring us
together and keep the spirit of one nation ™™ India is the land of unity in diversity.
alive within us. ™™ Diversity is a state of being different
from each other.
India is known for
™™ Landforms and climate have an impact
‘unity in diversity’. This
on diversity.
phrase was coined by
™™ Physical features and climatic
Jawaharlal Nehru, the
conditions determine the economic
first Prime Minister of independent
activities of a region.
India, in his book Discovery of India.
™™ Diversity in landforms also impacts
India has a multi-cultural society. the flora and fauna of a region.
India evolved as a single nation through ™™ Linguistic, religious, social and cultural
common beliefs, customs and cultural diversity exists in India.
practices. The freedom struggle and the ™™ India is a sub-continent with all the
drafting of our Constitution stands as physical features of a continent.
ample evidence to the spirit of unity of ™™ According to census of India 2001,
India. India has 122 major languages and
1599 other languages.

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™™ Culture refers to social behaviour and 3. M

 awsynram, the land of highest rainfall
practices of a particular society. is located in
™™ Classical and folk dances of India a. Manipur b. Sikkim
exhibit the rich cultural diversity in c.Nagaland d. Meghalaya
India. 4. W
 hich one of the following religion is
not practised in India
a. Sikhism b. Islam
c. Zoarastrianism d. Confucianism
5. R
 ecognised official languages of India,
1. Diversity - a range of different as per VIIIth Schedule of Indian
people or things. Constitution
a. 25 b. 23 c. 22 d. 26
2. I nter- - the dependence
dependence of two or more 6. Onam festival celebrated in
people or things on a. Kerala b. Tamil Nadu
c. Punjab d. Karnataka
3. Co–existence - living in harmony
7. Mohiniyattam is a classical dance of
and peace
a. Kerala b. Tamil Nadu
4. Linguistics - Scientific study of
c. Manipur d. Karnataka
language, analysis
8. ‘Discovery of India’ – a book was
of language form,
written by
language meaning
and language in a. Rajaji b. V.O.C
context. c. Nethaji d. Jawaharlal Nehru
9. T
 he phrase ‘ Unity in Diversity’ was
coined by
EXERCISES
a. Jawaharlal Nehru
I. Choose the correct
b. Ambedkar
answer
c. Mahathma Gandhi
1. I ndia consists of____
d. Rajaji
States and _____
Union territories. 10. V.A. Smith called India as _________

a. 27, 9 b. 29, 7 a. Great Democracy

c. 28, 7 d. 28, 8 b. Unique land of diversities
2. India is known as a c. Ethnological museum
a. Continent b. Sub continent d. Secular nation
c. Island d. None of these

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